


TCC/Star Trek AU - Untitled

by intelligentle



Category: Chicago Code, Star Trek
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intelligentle/pseuds/intelligentle





	TCC/Star Trek AU - Untitled

_He would have done well on the starship, walking down those long corridors, staring at the stars by Teresa’s side and taking no s$%t from the admirals and just saying it boldly through the comms(by that raising Caleb’s eyebrows in admiration)))_

She found him staring at the stars. He often did that now that everything had changed. Longing for a time and place that was familiar yet so changed. She watched him from her place inside the turbolift not wanting to disturb the moment. She worried for him, worried that he was dwelling too much on the past, and not looking towards the future and their mission ahead.  Silently, she approached him, stepping forward, hands clasped behind her back, down the stairs towards the front of the conn, the sprawling viewscreen providing a 360 degree view of the stars, the emptiness. She felt engulfed by it.

 

“Is this going to be a habit I will eventually have to break?”  Jarek looked over his left shoulder, seeing his wife take the last stair to stand beside him.

He tried to smile, seeing the smirk cross her face, but was only able to muster an “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” The smirk faded replaced with concern.

“For all of this, for what I said to everyone earlier, and…..” He looked down, his voice breaking.  He wrapped his fingers around the object he was holding, silently slipping it into his pocket.  She let her fingers become entwined with his and he fully turned to her.

“I let everyone into this, and it wasn’t my place to do so.  I lied to everyone on this ship about our mission - why we’re going here in the first place.  It isn’t so we could be heroes and save an alien race from certain destruction.  It’s personal, and it’s selfish.”

“It isn’t selfish.  You’re the captain of this ship! You have every right to make those kinds of decisions!”

“Yes, but not at the expense of the crew!  You heard what I’d said to the Admirals - I was begging them Teresa, begging them so we could come out here.” He caught himself, taking a breath, unwilling to become angry in front of her.

“You must remember that you’re not just doing this for yourself.”  Jarek saw her composure change, fighting back tears that we’re threatening to fall.

Closing his eyes, he turned away, leaning forward on the console.  

She then noticed the video looping on a section of the viewscreen, the audio muted. A young boy with brown curly hair and blue eyes was reaching towards the camera. She looked away in that moment, afraid that her heart would split in two.  Instead she reached up to rub between his shoulders.

“You miss this, don’t you?”  He opened his eyes, hearing how heavy her voice sounded but not understanding her meaning.  Sighing, he then realized she’d seen the video.

“Is that why you come here?  Why you spend hours staring at the stars?”

“Is it wrong?” he replied looking over his shoulder.

“No, it isn’t.  She bowed her head, her emotions taking over.  Jarek stood up, reaching a hand underneath her chin and bringing it to face him.  Tears streaked down her face, and he saw the same fear, pain and regret in her eyes that were reflected in his.  His thumb traced under her eye, catching more tears falling down her face.

“I just don’t want you to forget why you’re here.  Why you’re doing this.”  Her hand enclosed over his.

“Because he’s mine too.  And I don’t want you to grieve alone.  I want to be here for you.”

“I can’t forget where I came from, Teresa.  I can’t forgive what they’ve done to him.”

“Whatever it takes, you bring the antidote back.  You bring our son back.”

He leans in, and she meets him, soft, warm and desperate, the tightness that had been building inside their chests being released with each sigh she lay upon him.  The tears come freely again, and she holds onto him, wanting, hoping that the journey before them would not be in vain.

 

\--------------------------------------

 

“It’s almost time.  Caleb will be here any minute.”  She sat at her dresser in their quarters, undoing the tie on her hair, letting it down, grateful that the day was over.  Well almost.  

“I still don’t understand why we can only see him during regimented hours.”  Jarek stood by the dresser in the front of the room, his back to her.

“Yeah well, it looks like even the captain of his own ship doesn’t have the authority to mandate the hours he can see his son.  I assume it’s because of how sick he is.”

A heavy silence filled the room.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I know you meant no harm.”  He reached into his pocket again, fingering the object, the four-pointed star, it’s edges digging into his fingertips.  He pulled it out and laid it before him. Admired the writing seared into the plate, the crest of the city emblazoned upon it, the pride he felt knowing how many lives he’d saved in the place he loved so much.

“I didn’t know you still had this.”  He hadn’t realized she’d been standing behind him.  She took it off the dresser, holding it in her hands, memories washing over her.

“It seems so long ago, doesn’t it?  Such a different life.”

“Yeah, it does.” He took it from her, discarding it onto the dresser.

The door chimed.

“Yes come in!”

Caleb walked through.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, ma’am.”

“No,” Teresa said, turning to him.  “We were waiting for you.”

Turning to Jarek, he saluted. “Captain.”

“You can drop the formalities in my quarters, Caleb.  We’re not on duty.”

“Sorry sir.”

Jarek shot him a look.  Caleb looked down nervously.  Teresa smiled.

“So, Caleb, have you any news to tell of us.  Since you’re the proverbial eyes and ears of the ship.”  She sat down at her dresser, waiting with anticipation for any gossip he could give.

“Here we go again….” Jarek sighed, annoyed.

“Unfortunately, most of the news I have isn’t going to sit well with both of you.  After the meeting with the Admirals which might I remind you was broadcast throughout the entire ship” - Jarek glared fiercely at Caleb.  He felt a stab of nervousness run through him, but clearing his throat he continued. “....I get a sense the crew do not fully understand why we were put on this mission in the first place….”

“But you know why, right?”

Caleb turned his attention to her, his brow furrowing slightly.  “Of course, I do.  It’s because of James.”

“And it will need to stay that way.”  Jarek turned around to face Caleb who held his gaze firmly.

“No one must ever find out the real reason.  We’re here to solely rescue an alien race from one of our enemies.”

Caleb exchanged nervous glances with Teresa before she butted in.  “Anything else?”  Grateful for the chance to make things lighter he continued….”well, um just that some crew members do not approve of the hierarchy….”

Both Teresa and Jarek’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Just that...the balance of power seems unbalanced with both of you….”

Jarek turned back to the dresser.  “Well, they should all be courtmartialed then.  Mutinous bastards.”

“Jarek!”

“I’m joking Teresa.  Our crew unable to handle a married man and woman in positions of power.”

“Well, it wasn’t like that so long ago, you know.”  She stood up, walking towards him.

“How could I forget?  You always knew how to whip me back into shape.”

“Yes, I most certainly did,” grateful to get a smile out of him.

Caleb cleared his throat. “Yes, well, while you are looking longingly at each other...I’m just going to…..”

“Caleb….” he heard Jarek say, dragging him back as if he were a puppy.

Teresa placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder.  “We can’t go back to that life.  I know how much you miss it, but we can never go back.  The world’s changed too much.”

“Don’t you miss it though?”

“Yes, I do from time to time.  But it doesn’t do well to dwell on the past.”  Jarek remembered her words on the bridge.

“Besides you’re a much better Captain than I ever was.”

“I am most certainly not.  You carried the entire weight of the city on your shoulders.  I just followed your orders.  I could never do what you did.”

She traced her fingers along his face.  “Maybe you will someday.”

Turning to Caleb she signaled their cue to leave.  Jarek joined her by her side and they walked out together.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

As they neared sickbay, Teresa’s gait slowed, her breath catching in her throat.  She didn’t know how many times she’d walked this corridor - it seemed like ritual now.  Both Jarek and Caleb slowed their strides as they neared the entrance.  Caleb pushed the doorbell.

 

The doors sprang open - inside, dark, gloomy, quiet.  Patient beds empty except for one, all the way in the back, covered by a curtain.

 

“How is he doing, Doctor?,” the apprehensiveness in her voice very noticeable.  The Doctor opened the curtain revealing the garish number of wires and machines protruding from the boy.  “I’m afraid not good.  Last night, I was able to keep his fever down, but the infection seems to have spread.  If we don’t get the antidote soon, he most certainly will die.”

Teresa closed her eyes, fear welling inside her again, feeling Jarek’s hands wrap around her arms.  She knew the Doctor didn’t mean it, but he had terrible bedside manners.

“Thank you Doctor,” Jarek said.

“I’ll give you some privacy.”

Teresa began to shake and Jarek’s hand tightened around her.  Slowly, she reached out to place a hand near the edge of the bed, her son’s feet.  Her eyes then trailed up to his face, so angelic, so peaceful.

“You would think with all these machines, all this technology, we wouldn’t have diseases like this.”  She could feel the anger building inside her.  “I mean look at him, he doesn’t even look sick.”

Jarek continued to stand by and watch silently.

“I remember when I first held him in my arms,” - she smiled at the thought.  “I never thought it would happen.  I never thought I would have children.”

She felt one of Jarek’s hands reach down to hold hers.  She turned to him, his eyes glassy with tears.

“He’s our son, Jarek.  I can’t bear to see him like this.”

“I promise you I will do whatever it takes to find the medicine to save him.”  She smiled back at him, through her tears, grateful to him for reaffirming his belief in her and in himself.

Her hand was still upon the bed when she suddenly felt it move.  Turning backward, she saw her son’s eyes were open just slightly.

Her heart lept inside and kneeling beside the bed, she felt as if her heart would explode inside her chest.

“James!  James, honey. It’s Mommy. Mommy’s here.”  She smoothed out his curls, hoping he would register her touch.

He only stared back, unable to speak because of the tubes in his mouth.  She looked back at Jarek for a moment, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.  They both could hardly contain their happiness.

She turned back wanting him to say hello to his father, only to see that his eyes had closed, the moment gone.

She held her gaze with her son, barely registering what had just happened, before collapsed back against Jarek.  He took her down with him, sitting on the floor where she crumpled into his arms, sobs overtaking her.   He listened to her, listened to a mother’s grief for her son overwhelm him.  It settled, heavy on his body and he could only listen, numb at what lay before them all.

 

 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
